DDT ‘D-OH Grand Prix 2019’ (12.8.18) Spoiler Free Review

DDT ‘D-OH Grand Prix 2019’ (12.8.18) Spoiler Free Review

The D-OH Grand Prix is a round-robin tournament held by DDT. Fourteen wrestlers are separated into two blocks and the winners meet to determine who will challenge for the top prize in DDT, the KO-D Openweight Championship.

There has been a growing interest in DDT over the last year so my goal is to explain what to expect from these shows. DDT has a stigma against it, being known as the comedy promotion. Those who hate the comedy style oversell how much of that there is in the company. Tournaments like these allow the wrestlers to showcase more traditional wrestling skills that may be appealing to new fans curious about the promotion.

No results will be given in these articles. Instead, I’ll be highlighting what each match brought to the table, how long it went, and the timecode of the match if you’re interested.

You can watch these shows either live or OnDemand from DDT Universe. There will be nine shows in total and with such a diverse cast of wrestling, I highly encourage you to check it out.

Puma King vs Kazusada Higuchi – (41:50) 8 Minutes
DDT’s giant faces off against a giant cat. Puma king is a great mix of agility and power while Higuchi is pure power. Higuchi is someone that DDT was hot on earlier in the year and with the tournament giving him more chances to showcase his abilities as a singles wrestler, you can see why. Check this match out if you enjoy big guys trying to out power one another.

Masahiro Takanashi vs Mike Bailey – (54:25) 11 Minutes
Bailey is one of DDT’s best pure wrestlers. Throw him in the ring with anyone and he’ll find a way to adapt. Takanashi does his best as making people wrestle his style of match. He enjoys attacking limbs in wacky grapevines and always exploits any opportunity that comes his way. Check this match out if you enjoy attempts at overcoming silly antics.

Akito vs HARASHIMA – (1:09:15) 12 Minutes
HARASHIMA has been DDT’s ace for around a decade but as he begins to slip, everyone is giving their best in hopes of conquering the man who was on top for so long. Akito is a relentless limb worker. He’ll pick apart his opponents legs to what feels like excessive lengths in order to come out with the win. Check this match out if you enjoy heavy limb focus.

Shinya Aoki vs Soma Takao – (1:40:50) 5 Minutes
Current DDT Extreme Champion, Shinya Aoki, is champion for a reason; he’s extremely dangerous. Once the MMA star get a hold of his opponents, it’s game over. Takao is one of DDT’s most underhanded wrestlers. He has no issues taking a match to the outside and using weapons in order to gain the advantage. Check this match out if you enjoy trying to avoid problems via shady antics.

Go Shiozaki vs Daisuke Sasaki – (1:50:05) 19 Minutes
While it may be non-title, this is an important match for KO-D Openweight Champion, Daisuke Sasaki. He’s facing off with NOAH’s Go Shiozaki and as champion it’s Sasaki’s job to defend DDT. Sasaki isn’t the biggest man so he has to be crafty in how he deals with the strength of Shiozaki. Check this match out if you enjoy David versus Goliath stories.

Tetsuya Endo vs Konosuke Takeshita – (2:14:30)
The last time these two met in a singles match was in January’s D-OH tournament. The match went to a 30-minute draw and for that reason I won’t be adding the length they went this time. Former tag partners turned bitter rivals. These two have multiple time limit draws under their belts and main evented DDT’s biggest show of 2017 at Sumo Hall. Check this match out if you enjoy super athletic matches loaded with high spots.

Robert McCauley hasn't missed an NJPW show since the launch of NJPW World. Always be on the look out for his reviews where he shares results and gives his honest opinions on the goings-on of New Japan Pro-Wrestling.